Growing up, Bella had always known how special she was.

She had been told many times the story of her grandmother running away from the warring old world because her coven of witches wanted her dead for something they considered a grave and unforgivable betrayal: having a child, a daughter, with a Traveler and falling in love with him. Mixing both of their magic was unthinkable, it would give the offspring of such an union too much power and possibilities and the fact that the couple had refused to kill the child before she was born had made them enemies of her grandmother's coven.

Her grandfather had sacrificed his life, along with the life of 4 of his closest friends (also travelers) to allow her grandmother, the woman he loved more than anything, and their newborn daughter Renee to escape on a small pirate ship that sailed all the way to the new world, where mother and daughter found a home in a village populated mostly by werewolves. There, they lived peacefully, free to practice any magic they wanted and eventually, Renee fell in love with a werewolf, who happened to be the future Alpha's best friend.

They got married without any complains from anyone, who had adopted the strangers as a part of their village, and had a daughter that Renee named Isabella, after her mother who had recently died from using too much magic without taking the time to channel other energies first.

Bella grew up learning that anything was possible as long as there was someone willing to believe in it and to work hard to make it happen. Ansel, the pack's Alpha was her godfather and she loved spending time with him more than with anyone else she knew. Her own father was too busy working and teaching younger wolves, boys from the pack, to be bothered with her and so Ansel had become a second father to Bella, one she loved very much.

Being half witch and half werewolf wasn't always easy for her while growing up but it also had its perks. Her witch side allowed her to stay calm on full moons and her wolf side made her witch side stronger. Even though she hadn't triggered her curse yet, her wolf side was already helping her.

Sometimes, Ansel would take her to watch his son from afar. He explained to her once that Esther placed spells so he couldn't come close to his son until the boy triggered his curse and that even Renee's magic wouldn't be able to break it because Esther used blood magic and her blood was needed to break it. Bella was sad because it made her godfather sad but promised herself to do everything in her power to make her beloved godfather happy again some day. She'd be strong enough to break Esther's barrier one day, she knew it because that was what she wanted and when she dedicated herself to something, she didn't stop until it was over.

Of course, everything changed a few years later.

Bella was 15 when she first looked directly into Niklaus' eyes. She had watched him often while spending time with Ansel, found him quite attractive even but she had never been able to look into his eyes until that day.

She was hidden in the bushes while Ansel went to collect a rare root that Esther had asked him for. Niklaus was playing with young Henrik and Kol when he tripped over a root and fell in front of the bush she was in. Of course he couldn't see her because she was on the other side of Esther's magical limit but she could see him and what she saw in his eyes made her happy and had her panicking at the same time.

"You're okay Niklaus?" Kol asked him, helping him stand back up.

Quickly, Bella looked away so that he couldn't see her eyes and see in hers what she was seeing in his.

"Yeah... I... I think I saw something, but it's gone now." Klaus replied, still looking at the bush where Bella held her breath so he didn't hear her.

She knew that if Niklaus found out about her, Esther would do something drastic to punish Ansel and to prevent him from seeing his son ever again so Bella held back, trying to slowly and silently move back.

"Like an animal?" Henrik asked him, looking toward the bush that was hiding Bella and seeing nothing special.

"I don't know, it seemed bigger than that and it was just a pair of eyes, for even less than a second... They were beautiful though, human. Almond shaped and a beautiful brown color, not like mud, much prettier." Klaus shook his head.

Bella knew why he had seen her. In his eyes she had recognized her soul mate and the bond that bind her to him allowed him to see her before she looked away. In that second, Niklaus had become her destiny, her soul mate, her number one priority. She knew he'd hear her running away but he wouldn't be able to see her and would think it was some sort of animal so she did just that, she ran as fast as she could until she reached Ansel. She also knew why he hadn't felt the same thing as she had. It would have needed to last longer, she would have needed to hold on. The fact that he had been standing on the other side of Esther's barrier, the side where the outside was hidden, had kept him from feeling it as well.

As she ran to her godfather, Bella couldn't stop the tears from running because she understood that it wouldn't be all rainbows and kisses, she was already in pain and it would last a very long time. What should have been the best moment of her life was now her worst. What should have been the beginning of her life was now the end of it.

"Bella? What's wrong, child?" He asked her, immediately waking his way to her.

"I... I saw your son."

"I know, I left you there. What's wrong? Did something happen to him? Is he hurt? Did Mickeal hurt him again?" Ansel asked her, panic and concern in his voice.

"No, it's nothing like that... I... I... I saw his eyes." Bella replied.

"And?" Ansel asked her, confused for a couple of second before the old legend of Imprinting resurfaced in his mind.

"You didn't... Did you?" He asked her.

"I think so... I'm so sorry Ansel, I couldn't control it! I know Esther would punish you if she found out so I promise I'll stay in the shadow, I won't let him see me until he's ready to be a part of the pack." Bella started to say.

"Calm down Bella, I'm sure we can try to talk it out with Esther, surely she won't keep her son away from a soul mate, especially when we consider the pain it would put him in." Ansel shook his head.

"He didn't Imprint back, Uncle. I think he saw my eyes for a fraction of a second after I imprinted but I looked away and he isn't even sure of what he saw."

"Why did you do that? Do you know the kind of pain you'll be in, being away from him, having an un-complete bond?" Ansel asked her.

"I'll be fine, I... I just don't want you to be deprived of the few times you can see him from afar. I'll be fine, I can handle a little pain for a while, it'll be worth it if in the end, we can all be a happy family." Bella replied.

"You're a good girl Bella, now come, I have the root, I'll give it to Esther and we can go fishing like I promised you." Ansel smiled at her.

.

For the next few years, Bella concentrated on learning more magic from her mother but also from other witches that lived in the area. She'd go and spend a few weeks with other witches to learn their magic and read their grimoirs. She needed to keep her mind busy in order to numb a bit the pain she felt from being unable to see her love or to hold him in her arms.

When she turned 18, her mother wanted her to marry a warlock from another village. She figured that if her daughter couldn't be with her soulmate, she needed to find someone else. Renee never really understood the bond that now bonded Bella and Niklaus. She went as far as to arrange everything behind Ansel and Bella's father's back. When the 20 years old warlock named Edward arrived, Bella just shook her head and went to lock herself up in her godfather's house while the Alpha sent the young man away.

"It's okay Bella, you can come out. We've reasoned with your mother." Ansel reassured her from the other side of the door.

"I just can't believe she went that far, I told her how I felt, I explained it to her..." Bella shook her head.

"Don't worry, everything is fine now." Ansel smiled.

"Not for Niklaus though... I can feel it, he's sad and feeling guilty but I don't know why." Bella informed him.

"His brother Henrik went outside before dawn to see the wolves changing back into men. Niklaus tried to stop him but couldn't and he wasn't strong enough to protect them both against the two wolves that found them. Henrik died." Ansel replied what Esther had informed him of that very morning.

"It's her own fault, Niklaus would have been able to fight off the wolves if it wasn't for that awful cursed necklace she gave him. Hell, he might even have been able to order them away since he's your son. He has strong Alpha blood, he would have been able to save his brother." Bella spat.

"I know... And I know that right now you're angry because you can't un-spell the necklace from away but don't. You can't always be the most powerful witch of the land Bella."

"I want to be, I want to be strong enough to kick Esther's butt and to give Mickeal a taste of his own medicine. I want to be strong enough to ensure Niklaus the best of lives." Bella replied.

"I know. Don't worry child, we'll have Niklaus soon."

"You keep on saying that but Esther is never going to let him trigger his curse. She's never going to let him go." Bella said in a resigned voice before she left his house to go in the woods.

There, she always loved to meditate. She'd get visions sometimes. Who she should go and learn from, a storm coming... Sometimes all it did was help her clear her mind and accept that the pain she felt around her heart was now normal and would remain so until Esther decided to let go of her son, or died.

Bella knew that it was wrong of her to wish someone else dead, especially another witch but she couldn't help it. Esther was the cause of her suffering, of Ansel's suffering and of Niklaus' suffering. She was the reason she had lost her first child and it was her own fault if Henrik had been killed but she'd find a way to blame someone else for it, she knew it.

.

Bella had been proven right a couple of days later when word of what Esther had put her children through reached her through Ansel. Esther had changed her children into vampires and, the next day, Klaus' true identity was revealed to everyone. He had killed someone while feeding and had changed into a werewolf.

"We have to act quickly Bella, come." Ansel told her.

"Why? This is good, you can finally meet your son, he can finally learn the truth about who he is and where he belongs." Bella smiled.

"Esther is going to put a curse on Niklaus to bind his werewolf side in. Your parents will stay here in the village in case there is a problem, you and I are going to try and stop them." Ansel replied.

"Okay, just wait a minute." Bella replied.

Mickeal was already pretty dangerous as a human but now he was a vampire. Stronger than werewolves and definitely angry enough to be a threat to them all. Bella knew that she was risking her life tonight so she placed a resurrection spell on herself. It would only work if a supernatural being killed her. She'd wake up 24 hours later and be just as strong as she had been when killed. She considered a moment putting the same spell on Ansel but he hurried her, saying that there was no time and she knew that he was an experienced fighter. The two of them would be able to handle it.

"Ready?" Ansel asked her.

"Yes, I'm ready now. Let's save your son and my Love." She smiled, ready to show her power off.

Bella and Ansel rushed through the woods. On the way, Bella reminded Ansel to make sure that the ring Esther made him didn't drop from his finger during the fight. This ring would even out the fight against Mickeal a bit.

Bella and Ansel decided to stick together in their search and if Bella thought she'd be able to use her powers to find Niklaus sooner, she was wrong.

"Esther must have some sort of protection spell in place. I can't locate her or him." Bella shook her head.

"Don't worry, we'll find them. She won't be able to hide my son from me any longer." Ansel reassured her.

"So it's you, the man who thought he could steal my wife from me?" Mickeal spat from behind them.

He stood tall, not caring about the blood that was all over his face.

"Run Bella." Ansel whispered.

"What? No! I'm staying here with you. I'm helping!" Bella declared.

"Bella, the blood on his face is wolf's blood! Our wolves, I can smell it." Ansel insisted, his eyes glowing and Bella opened big eyes.

She was thankful that Esther's ring was still working and that Ansel was able to be as strong as a wolf while staying human. It would help him against Mickeal and his newly found vampire strength

"Exactly, and now it's your turn. I was never one to leave a job unfinished after all." Mickeal smirked, using his vampire speed to appear in from of Ansel and Bella.

Bella used her powers to send Mickeal flying backward and the vampire hit his head against a tree.

"Esther didn't tell me that there would be a witch present." Mickeal snarled.

"She didn't know about me." Bella smiled while Ansel jumped in the fight.

"Why are you fighting with him? Why are you trying to protect the bastard?" Mickeal asked Bella while he fought.

"Because Niklaus is my soul mate." Bella replied honestly before throwing Mickeal away from Ansel once more.

Bella did her best to help Ansel until she was distracted by a rock flying past her head. She lost focus to avoid it and when she looked back up, Ansel was on the floor, standing back up a few feet from her. Mickeal was nowhere to be seen but Ansel was looking at her with horror, a silent cry dead on his lips.

Hands on her neck.

Snap.

Darkness.

When Bella woke up, it was calm around her and Ansel's body was impaled on a sharp piece of wood, his eyes were opened but there was no life behind them. Coming closer to him, Bella took Ansel's ring, planning on sending it to Niklaus later, anonymously. She could feel through her bond that Esther had managed to curse Niklaus and that the witch was dead. Bella decided to leave Ansel's body where it was and made it so a large bush of roses would grow around him.

As soon as this was done, Bella ran back to her village, remembering the blood on Mickeal's face and was hit by the horror of what he had done when she arrived.

"No!" Bella cried out, her voice reverberating throughout the forest and, unknowingly to her, reaching her soul mate, when she saw the head of her mother resting, without its body, by her father's feet.

"We didn't find any survivors, I'm sorry." Rebekah said, standing a few feet away.

"What are you doing here? Your father did this. Where is Mickeal?" Bella asked with as much animosity as she could gather.

"Mickeal fled after he killed our mother." Rebekah replied and Bella could see that Niklaus' younger sister was suffering from what both of her parents had done but she couldn't even consider being nice to her right now.

She had Niklaus, she had forever, she had a large part of her family still... Bella didn't have any of this.

"Good, at least one person got what they deserved then. The other one will pay too." Bella snapped.

"How did you survive? Who are you?" Rebekah asked Bella, trying to ignore the young woman's insult of her mother.

"Someone you don't want to anger. Now leave my land and go take care of your brother, he's the one who's been hurt the most last night. You have no idea what your parents took from him. It goes beyond an ability to become a wolf when the moon is full. If you ever see Mickeal again, tell your father that I, the witch who fought him with Ansel, survived and that I'll get my revenge, even if it takes me a thousand years and a hundred thousand sacrifices to do so. I'll make sure he suffers for an eternity in hell and receives a thousand times the pain he gave if it's the last thing I do." Bella replied in a dead voice before using her powers to push Rebekah away from the bloodied bodies.

.

A couple of days later, Bella witnessed from afar as Niklaus and his siblings took a ship to go back to the old world.

She could have introduced herself to her Love, she could have gone with them but she had another idea on her mind. She needed to be stronger, then she'd be able to find the right ingredients and go back in time. She'd save Ansel, maybe even Henrik. She'd have Niklaus by her side and they'd be a happy family.

She had learn the spell she needed to use a while back and started to get ready for it right away. Sleep for a century, live and collect powers and information for a year, sleep for another century and so on until she was ready, until she was strong enough to go back to the night she had lost everything at the hands of Mickeal and Esther.

The pain of being away from Niklaus was even bigger now that he was on his way to the old continent but she didn't care. She wanted him to be truly happy and she knew that he wasn't happy now, that he wouldn't be completely happy if she joined him. She needed to give him his brother and his father back, and she would. She could handle feeling the hole punched in her heart and soul for a while, it was worth it.

She took everything she'd need and settled everything she wanted to keep in one of the isolated caves hidden underneath the forest. She protected it with several spells and laid down, closing her eyes.

The price of doing this magic was clear: she'd be in pain because of her separation from her love and she'd be able to watch him from afar, see everything he had to go through. It didn't matter, in the end, she'd make him happy and all of her pain would have been worth it.

She was sure of it. She wouldn't let anything else stand in her way.

Wow, you guys loved the introduction! I hope you'll also love this chapter. Any question you might have will be answered later.

Thank you for your response to the first chapter, i hope you'll like this one even more.

Review please?

Lorelei Candice Black